2005-06-19
Research has found that individuals with alcohol and drug dependencies
have a greater occurrence of injuries, hypertension, HIV, hepatitis,
acid-related peptic disorders, liver cirrhosis, depression, anxiety
disorders, and major psychoses. These individuals also tend to have
higher health care costs, particularly for more costly services such
as hospitalizations and emergency-room use. A study in the June issue
of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research has found that
primary-care patients with less severe drinking and drug use also have
several serious health problems.
"The World Health Organization defines 'hazardous drinking' as
'alcohol consumption which confers the risk of physical and/or
psychological harm,'" explained Jennifer R. Mertens, a researcher with
the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program's division of research and
corresponding author for the study. "Hazardous drinking and drug use
are much less severe, yet much more common, than dependence disorders.
For example, a hazardous drinker might be someone who drank four or
more times a week, drank three drinks on a typical day that they
drank, and had a relative or friend, a doctor or other health worker
express concern about their drinking or suggest they cut down in the
past year."
...
"First, we found that one in 10 patients in private, primary-care
clinics were either hazardous drinkers or drug users," said Mertens.
"This was consistent with an earlier study in similar primary-care
clinics for privately insured patients." The prevalence of hazardous
drinking and drug use was similar to hypertension and diabetes, she
said.
"Second, we found that hazardous drinkers and drug users in primary
care were more likely than other patients to have had several serious
health problems," said Mertens, "including injuries, hypertension,
pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, depression, anxiety
disorders, and major psychoses." This finding would indicate that
screening and brief intervention at the lower threshold of hazardous
drinking and drug use would sooner detect individuals with health
risks, she added.
"Third," she said, "hazardous drinkers and drug users had more visits
to psychiatric clinics. This high prevalence of psychiatric
comorbidities and the accompanying use of mental-health care suggest
that interventions for hazardous drinking and drug use need to take
into account the need for mental-health treatment in these patients."
<http://i-newswire.com/pr26008.html>
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